Kaizer Chiefs coach Stuart Baxter has painted a grim picture of Amakhosi ever piping big-spending Mamelodi Sundowns to a player when the two sides go head-to-head in the transfer market.

Sundowns recently captured Teboho Mokoena, who was one of  Chiefs’ main targets, from SuperSport United. On the other hand, Amakhosi didn’t sign even a single player in the January transfer window that slammed shut on Monday.

After it increasingly looked unlikely that Mokoena would join Chiefs, many expected the Glamour Boys to sign his midfield twin Sipho Mbule. However, Matsatsantsa managed to hold onto the 23-year-old, insisting they weren’t prepared to let him go before the end of the current term.

“There’s one club that’s holds all the trump cards, so if we’re interested in a player they’re interested in, pretty much the chance is he is going to go there. We have to be smart in our recruitment and I think we’ve tried to do that,’’ said Baxter on the sidelines of the Nedbank Cup launch in Sandton on Tuesday.

While he understands the opinion, held by some of the club’s fans, that failing to sign even one player in the recent transfer window casts doubts on their ambitions, Baxter has suggested they tried all they could but it wasn’t meant to be with financial limitations appearing to be the main reason for their rather quiet transfer window.

“I think it’s easy to have these perceptions [that Chiefs aren’t ambitious enough after a quiet January transfer window], given what’s gone on,’’ noted Baxter.

“So I can’t say I don’t understand what the supporters are feeling but I can assure them that there’s a lot more going on in terms of targeting people, getting notes back and realising in the open market. I don’t think it’s lack of ambition but it’s reality hitting home.”

The Chiefs coach didn’t hide he would have loved to sign Mokoena. “It would have been nice to get Teboho Mokoena because I believe our squad is developing. You can always use the injection of player that has a price to boost what you have."